


In the Lap of the Gods

by admiralandrea



Series: Sheer Heart Attack [1]
Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: trope_bingo, Episode Related, Food Porn, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 08:07:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15020303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/admiralandrea/pseuds/admiralandrea
Summary: Callen's first undercover mission happened when he was sixteen.





	In the Lap of the Gods

**Author's Note:**

> The non-con/underage stuff is not anything explicitly sexual and occurs between Callen and an OMC. There is also involuntary drug use in here. A female OC goes through something similar, but this is less described.
> 
> This fic was inspired by the revelations about Callen's childhood from S06E20 "Rage".
> 
> Written for the "food porn" square on my Trope Bingo card. Thanks to Spikedluv for the Alpha read.

Callen had been living at Hetty’s for three months. She had been gone most of that time – called away somewhere mysterious she couldn’t tell him about only two weeks after he’d arrived at her address. He hadn’t been thrown out as he’d expected when she gave him the news. Instead, her “Man about the House” as Callen had christened him was watching over Callen.

Duke was a pretty cool guy. He seemed to understand how hungry Callen was all the time and provided plenty of food – and not the healthy crap a lot of families had tried to feed him either. In addition, he helped Callen with the school work that he’d been given. Hetty had ruled out the need for him to actually go to school for the moment, but had arranged for someone to provide him with a lot of books and course work on various subjects. She’d also encouraged him to start learning a language, which Callen had not had the chance to do before, but was keen on after learning some Russian with the Rostoff family.

Finally, Duke had announced at breakfast that morning that Hetty would be coming home later the same day. Callen had just nodded as he was chewing a mouthful of bacon at the time. 

“She’ll be pleased with your progress lad,” Duke had told him.

Callen scowled; he hated the fact that Duke called him that but none of his subtle hints seemed to have an effect. “Okay,” he said. “I need to go finish my essay so it can go in the post to the tutor today.”

He slid from his seat at the breakfast bar, carrying his plate over to the sink. Callen found he was actually enjoying studying a lot of the stuff Hetty had provided him with, although he had a feeling none of it was on the average High School curriculum. Certainly, it hadn’t been covered in the last school he’d gone to a few classes at, when he was staying with the Rostoffs before he’d gotten into trouble and ended up in Juvie.

“I’ll see you at lunch time,” Duke said as Callen took juice from the fridge, then picked up cookies and fruit to take with him. 

He tended to study non-stop once he got going, so the snacks were essential. But Duke insisted that he have a proper break at lunch time, usually coming to the suite of rooms Callen had had allocated to him and letting him know it was time to eat.

“Sure, see you later,’ Callen agreed, then ran up the back stairs that led from the kitchen to the hallway where his rooms were located. 

He had a bedroom, bathroom and sitting room all in one wing of the large house Hetty had brought him to, although he used the latter more as a study. Hetty had provided him with a desk and chair, but left the TV Callen had insisted he didn’t need.

“Nonsense, Mr Callen,” she’d told him sternly. “There are many useful educational programs you can watch.”

So he’d agreed it could stay, even though he hadn’t even turned it on yet.

*

Callen soon got engrossed in the essay he was writing for the tutor Hetty had found for him. It was about themes in Russian literature and he found it an interesting subject. He was so absorbed, the voice startled him so badly, he was across the room huddled in a corner before conscious thought kicked in.

“Mr Callen!” Hetty’s voice said again, breaking through the fog in his brain.

“H-Hetty?” he stuttered, looking up to see her watching him from a few feet away, Duke just behind her.

“Yes, my boy,” she said, gesturing to Duke, who turned and left the room.

“What happened?” Callen asked, bewildered by how he came to be crouched in the corner of the sitting room.

Hetty moved to sit in an armchair and Callen crawled forward, then stood, feeling a bit stupid now.

“I believe I startled you with my presence and you had a negative reaction,” Hetty told him.

Callen blushed and hung his head. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Nonsense, Mr Callen, it is I who should be apologizing, not you,” Hetty said briskly. “Duke did warn me you get deeply into your studies and forget the world around you. I should have realized I needed to make noise to alert you to my presence.”

Callen sank into the sofa, curling around his legs and resting his head on his arms. “Duke tends to stomp on the stairs,” he admitted. “So I know someone is coming, even if I don’t really break free until he speaks to me.”

“We can work on it together, if you wish,” Hetty told him.

Callen nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. “How was your trip?” He knew it was an abrupt change of subject, but he wanted to talk about something other than himself now.

Hetty smiled knowingly, but gave him the out. “It was most interesting,” she said. “How about we go downstairs for lunch as I have a favor to ask of you.”

Callen was intrigued by that and nodded agreement, blushing again when his stomach growled at the thought of food.

* 

Over lunch, though, Hetty didn’t bring up whatever the favor was, instead asking about his school work and the essay he’d been working on. When he admitted he was struggling with math, she suggested she could find someone to tutor him.

“I guess that would be alright,” Callen agreed dubiously.

Hetty patted his hand. “Don’t worry dear, I’ll make sure we find someone you like and not just some old fuddy duddy.”

Callen laughed at that, even though he wasn’t sure he liked being “dear”. It seemed a bit overly familiar. Not that he would say anything. He was determined not to do anything to rock the boat with Hetty, knowing how much he owed her for saving his ass from the police.

“Well, if you’re done with lunch, Mr Callen, how about we go into my study so I can explain what it is I’d like your help with?” Hetty suggested.

Callen nodded. “Sure, whatever you want,” he agreed. He slid from his seat and moved to clear the table.

While he cleaned up, Hetty made herself another cup of tea. She had offered some to Callen earlier, but he had declined. Just the smell was awful, he couldn’t imagine what it would taste like.

When they were both done, Callen followed Hetty down the hall to the room she called a study. It was huge, bigger than just about any other room Callen had seen and filled with bookshelves that went from floor to ceiling and were crammed with books. He’d been given permission to enter the room and borrow any book he chose while Hetty was away, but after he’d ventured inside the first time, he’d yet to return. He found the room rather intimidating.

Once they were settled in the study, Hetty turned to Callen. “I am pleased to see you settling in so well, Mr Callen,” she said. “You have more than rewarded me for making the decision to take you in to my home and I thank you for that.”

Callen gave a little shrug. “I like it here,” he said simply. “Thank you for bringing me home with you.”

“Now, there is something I wish to ask you to consider assisting me with,” Hetty told him. “I want to stress that this is entirely voluntary and if you decide not to help I will not think any less of you, nor will it jeopardize your position living here.”

“Okay,” Callen said warily, wondering just where this was going.

Hetty nodded. “I do work for the government from time to time,” she said, “If they have need of my particular area of expertise. I have been consulting on one such case and I believe that it would benefit from your involvement.”

Callen just nodded when Hetty paused to look at him. She was using a lot of words, but not saying very much that he could really respond to at present.

“Now, this case involves some businessmen visiting our country from Japan,” Hetty continued. “They like to visit certain restaurants in Los Angeles and when they do, they often require special services.”

“What sort of special services?” Callen asked cautiously, thinking that this sounded like a very bad situation.

“Various kinds,” Hetty told him. “The one we are interested in dealing with involves young people being invited to the restaurants to offer entertainment or serve the diners. This usually involves them being placed in situations that are at least unpalatable and sometimes illegal. Often the young people are too young, if you understand my meaning, Mr Callen.”

Callen grimaced. He had a pretty good idea what Hetty was referring to. “So what do you want me to do?” he asked. 

“There is one businessman in particular that we wish to target,” Hetty said. “He has a certain taste that one of the restaurants is happy to cater to and you fall within the parameters of the type of young person he likes to have entertaining him.”

“You want to use me as bait?” Callen asked, feeling sick at the thought.

“That is one way of describing the situation, certainly,” Hetty replied delicately. 

Callen frowned. “I thought that sort of thing was illegal?” he asked.

“Entrapment is illegal,” Hetty told him. “But you would be put into a situation and events will transpire as they may. We would then ask you to make a statement afterwards detailing what occurred. If there is nothing illegal going on, that would be the end of it. However, it may be there is enough to encourage this person to return home to Japan.”

“Can I think about it?” Callen queried hesitantly. He had very mixed feelings about this situation.

“Of course,” Hetty assured him. “This is not an urgent matter by any means. We know this gentleman will be in the country for some weeks yet and even if you weren’t ready to do this now, but agreed to do so later, he is certain to return in a few months. We would not rush you into taking part, some preparation and training would be required before you were placed into such a situation.”

Callen nodded. “Okay,” he said.

“Very well then,” Hetty told him. “Let us speak of other things. I believe your birthday is coming up shortly, do you have any thoughts on what you wish to do to mark the occasion?”

Callen stared at Hetty. No one had ever asked him anything like that before. He didn’t remember having celebrated a single birthday in any of the group homes or with any of the foster families he might have been with when his birthday came round. He was sure most people didn’t even know when his birthday was and here was Hetty, asking him about it, when she’d been away most of the time he’d been staying at her home.

“I, uh, I guess I haven’t thought about it,” Callen managed to stammer out eventually.

Hetty looked concerned, then thoughtful. “Very well, then that is something else you should consider,” she told him. “Turning sixteen is quite the milestone and we should mark the occasion appropriately.”

“Right,” Callen said, not sure how else to respond. “May I be excused now?” he asked. He was desperate for some space and time to himself after the overwhelming events of the last couple of hours. “I need to finish my school work,” he added, to give Hetty more incentive to agree.

“Of course, Mr Callen,” she agreed. “I will see you for dinner later.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Callen mumbled, falling back on group home formality as he got to his feet and hurried towards the door, feeling panic at the edges of his mind. This whole situation might be more than he could manage.

*

Thoughts in turmoil, Callen hurried up the stairs to his bedroom. Once inside, he locked the door – another novelty for him – then curled up on his bed. He pulled the pillow over his head, trying to block out the images whirling through his head. 

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to celebrate his birthday – to maybe have a present from Hetty or have something special for dinner. At the same time as he was trying to picture that, though, he couldn’t help thinking about what else Hetty had discussed with him and the memories that brought up of different places he’d stayed and some of the other children he’d met in the last few years, moving from home to home.

As the images bombarded his brain, Callen threw aside the pillow and dashed into his bathroom, falling to his knees in front of the toilet just in time to throw up what seemed like not just lunch, but everything he’d eaten since he arrived here.

Eventually, Callen was done and he slumped to the floor, curling up on his side in much the same way he’d curled up on the bed earlier. His stomach and head both ached and he felt hot and cold at the same time. He was shaking as well and knew there was no way he could make it back to the bedroom.

He didn’t know how long he lay there, until a hand on his shoulder roused him from his stupor.

“Callen?” It was Duke’s voice penetrating the fog in his brain.

Callen blinked up at him, wondering why he was lying on the bathroom floor.

“Can you get up lad?” Duke asked.

Callen struggled to a sitting position, but didn’t seem to have the energy or strength to get any further. Fortunately, Duke was able to hoist him upright and half-carry, half-drag him back through the bedroom, until he was in bed.

Callen was shivering, so Duke tucked a blanket around him, then quickly pulled off Callen’s sneakers. He disappeared briefly, then came back with a cup of water and helped Callen to take a few sips.

A warm hand pressed briefly to his forehead, then lifted his head to position his pillow beneath it. Callen groaned gratefully at the softness on his aching head.  
“Drink a little more,” Duke encouraged him, so Callen dutifully raised his head again and sipped a bit more.

When the cup was gone, he slumped down again and pulled the blanket more tightly around his body.

“Sleep now,” Duke told him in a soothing voice and closing his eyes, Callen did just that.

*

Callen woke with a groan, wondering why he had a headache and dry mouth. He moved slowly, realizing his whole body ached and yet he didn’t remember anything happening that would warrant him feeling this way.

“Mr Callen?” the voice startled him and he moved quickly, too quickly, as his head span and his stomach lurched.

Callen groaned again, settling against the head of the bed and closed his eyes once more. Memory filtered back; he was at Hetty’s house, she’d told him about the Japanese businessman and asked about his birthday.

He wasn’t sure why he’d had such a strong reaction to the conversation with her, but he felt like he’d gone ten rounds with Muhammad Ali.

“Mr Callen,” Hetty said again and he looked up to see her standing beside the bed, holding a glass of water and wearing a concerned frown.

“Hetty,” he croaked, reaching for the glass of water and ignoring the fact his hand was shaking.

She kept hold of the glass as he brought it to his mouth, her hand warm on his, as Callen sipped the cool water. When he’d had enough, he slumped back against the headboard again.

“Do you need a doctor? Hetty asked him.

He shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said.

She responded by snorting. “Your current condition does not fit any definition of that word, Mr Callen,” she told him.

He rolled his head to look at her. “I don’t need a doctor,” he insisted. “I guess something just upset my stomach.”

“I guess it did, Mr Callen,” she agreed. “I’m sorry that something I told you should disturb you so.”

He gave a small shrug at that. “I’ll get over it,” he told her. He always did after all. “But I would like to have a shower if that’s okay?”

She smiled at him. “Of course, Mr Callen, I will leave you to it. Please come down to the kitchen when you are done, though.”  
“Sure,” he agreed, climbing off the bed.

Hetty nodded at him and left him alone. Callen slowly made his way into the bathroom and stripped off, remembering to drop his clothes into the hamper he’d been given. Stepping into the shower cubicle, he turned the water up as hot as he could stand it and then just stood there, enjoying the luxury of being able to shower when he wanted. He was careful not to stay too long, though, not wanting to keep Hetty waiting or waste too much water.

He spent a few minutes washing off the feeling of sweat and sickness, then washed his hair as well. When he’d asked Duke about getting a haircut, a few weeks into his stay at Hetty’s, Duke had offered to do it for Callen. Callen had hesitated at first, then agreed and let Duke do it. He’d been fast and efficient, but Callen had been fine with the result. Short hair was a lot easier to keep clean.

Done with his shower, Callen quickly dried off and dressed in clean clothes. That was another novelty of living at Hetty’s; he had more than a couple of changes of clothes and he wasn’t expected to do all his own laundry. Hetty employed a couple of staff who came in to clean the house and one of them also did the laundry. Callen had been reluctant to let the woman take his stuff at first, but after Duke had reassured him, Callen went along with it. He still insisted on keeping his own rooms clean and tidy, though.

*

In the kitchen, Hetty was seated at the large wooden table that dominated one side of the room, a cup of what Callen guessed was tea in front of her. Opposite where she sat, there was a bottle of ginger ale and a package of crackers.

“You look better, Mr Callen,” Hetty said, as he sat down and opened the bottle of pop. “I thought that would help your stomach settle for now. Dinner will be later and I will ensure it is something light.”

“Thank you,” Callen mumbled, ducking his head at her solicitous tone. He sipped on the ginger ale, then opened the crackers and ate one slowly. He did feel better and his stomach seemed okay again.

When he looked up again, Hetty was watching him closely. “I’m okay now,” he hurried to assure her. “I’m sorry about before.”

“Nonsense,” Hetty told him robustly. “You are still adjusting to a new situation, and I rather threw you a curveball, as the vernacular would have it.”

Callen couldn’t help a little snort at that. Hetty had the strangest way of speaking sometimes. He covered by eating another cracker, feeling himself relax more as he did so.

“Are you able to discuss what we talked about earlier?” Hetty asked him and he looked at her again. She merely looked concerned though and he gave a little shrug.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you,” he answered.

“I find the truth usually works best, Mr Callen,” she said.

He fiddled with the wrapper off the crackers, not sure where to start. Hetty waited patiently, he could see out of the corner of his eye that she was still sipping her tea.

“It was everything,” Callen finally said. “I never had anyone know when my birthday was before or ask me if I wanted to do something. And the businessman thing, I don’t know about that. I’m scared, okay? I know kids that’ve been in bad situations like that. No one ever rescued them.”

He leaned back in his chair after his outburst, then got up, suddenly restless and walked across to the other side of the kitchen, leaning against the wall. This whole situation was getting more surreal and uncomfortable by the minute. He felt like the house was closing in on him and it was a struggle not to just open the nearby back door and take off running.

Only the thought that he wouldn’t get very far with Duke chasing him was holding Callen back at the moment. 

“Mr Callen, please come and sit down again,” Hetty said in a serious voice.

He looked up at her and saw she had an intent look on her face. He shrugged and nodded, slowly walking back over to the table and taking his seat again.

“I am truly sorry you found what I told you to be so disturbing,” she started. “It was never my intention to upset you. Please think nothing more of the Japanese situation, I will find another way to deal with it. As for your birthday, I wanted to offer you a special day to mark the occasion, but there is no obligation on you here. You can do anything you wish, or nothing at all, if you prefer. There is time for you to consider what you want to do and let me know.”

Callen looked at Hetty carefully and could see she was sincere in what she was telling him. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll think about it.”

“Splendid!” Hetty said. “Now, we have a little more time until dinner, so why don’t you go and look for a video to watch after we eat?”

Callen got up from his seat again and headed for the sitting room where Hetty’s video collection was kept neatly on rows of shelves. He didn’t really know much about films, but he could look for something that he thought Hetty might like to watch and hopefully she would be happy then.

*

Over the next few days, things settled in to a new routine, with Hetty seemingly staying at home for the time being. Callen got used to her being the one coming to fetch him for lunch or dinner and learned to listen out for her light, almost-silent tread on the stairs. 

He continued to work on his studies, but also thought about his conversations with Hetty; not just the issue of his birthday, but the situation with the Japanese businessman as well. He had also started learning martial arts with Duke, at Hetty’s suggestion.

One day, a week before his birthday, he decided to raise the subject with Hetty at lunch.

“About my birthday?” he asked tentatively, making it more of a question, not sure the subject was still up for discussion.

“You decided what you wanted to do?” Hetty asked, looking at him over her forkful of salad.

Callen nodded and fiddled with his own fork. “Yeah, if it’s okay, I’d like to go to a bookstore please?”

“That is certainly possible Mr Callen,” Hetty agreed. “Did you have one in mind?”

Callen shrugged. “Dunno,” he admitted. “I’ve never really been to one before.”

Hetty frowned, though whether that was because of Callen’s poor English, which she was trying to get him to improve, or at the thought he’d never been to a bookstore, Callen didn’t know.

“I believe I know just the place,” she finally said. “And the perfect spot for lunch nearby as well.”

“Okay,” Callen agreed, willing to trust Hetty’s judgement. “Can we talk about the other thing too?”

Hetty put down her fork and looked intently at him. “Other thing?”

“Ya know, the Japanese thing,” Callen said, looking down at his plate. He’d lost interest in his lunch and dropped his fork on to the pile of lettuce he hadn’t really wanted to eat anyway.

“Are you sure about that?” Hetty asked. 

Callen looked up at her. “I wanna help those kids if I can,” he said. “Like you helped me.” It had been weighing on his mind a lot.

“That is very noble of you, Mr Callen,” Hetty told him. 

“Not really,” he said. “If it’s something I can do, then I should.”

Hetty patted his hand. “Very well then,” she said. “Let us discuss it in more detail.”

Callen followed behind Hetty as she led the way to her study. She settled in an armchair, rather than behind her desk and Callen sat on the couch, curling up in the corner. He was pretty nervous about this, but determined all the same.

Once they were settled, Hetty began her explanation. “As I told you previously, this particular businessman likes the company of certain types of young people. We do not believe this to necessarily be sexual in nature.”

Callen grimaced at that comment, but nodded in understanding as Hetty continued to talk. 

“He prefers to dine at certain high end Japanese restaurants when he is in Los Angeles and always has two young people present for these dinners. Unfortunately, we have not been able to contact any of these young people after the event and the same young people are never seen more than once. All of this is very troubling of course and there are a number of theories as to what happens to these children. Therefore, this is a very risky endeavor for you to engage in Mr Callen and you must be aware of that.”

Callen had shifted so his head rested on his arms, which he’d folded over his knees while he listened to Hetty. He could think of several reasons why the children were never seen again, none of them good. He was sure Hetty knew of even more options than he was aware of, too. 

“So how would you protect me?” he asked simply. It was the obvious question and one he needed an answer to before he thought any further about agreeing to what Hetty wanted him to do.

“We will be tracking you,” Hetty said. “We will be aware of your location at all times and we will be nearby, ready to extract you if it becomes necessary. If, at the conclusion of dinner, you are unable to leave of your own free will, then a team will be ready to move in and take down all those involved.”

Callen shivered, it all sounded pretty risky to him, but he’d already thought that. And yet, he was still considering this. “Do you know what the kids do?” he asked.

“At dinner?” Hetty clarified.

“Yeah,” Callen agreed. “Do they just sit there looking pretty or serve the food or what?”

“We haven’t been able to determine that,” Hetty said. “Our attempts to place someone inside one of the restaurants as kitchen or waiting staff have not been successful to date. That is why we are considering this plan, despite it’s high risk nature.”

“And why do you want me to do this?” Callen asked, “I’m an untrained teenager. Don’t you have agents that are suitably qualified?”

Hetty studied him thoughtfully, and Callen fought not to squirm. Finally, she answered the question. “We do have agents that could perhaps take on this role,” she agreed. “However, I believe you to be well suited to this task. You are familiar to others on the streets, your physical type is exactly what this man prefers. And you are intelligent and quick witted. I am sure this is well within your capabilities. It is also better to have someone who is the age preferred, rather than someone trying to play that age.”

“Okay,” Callen said, after thinking some about what Hetty had told him. “I’ll do it.”

Hetty looked surprised. “You will?” she asked.

Callen straightened up. “Said I would,” he told her defiantly. “I don’t go back on my word.”

“I’m not doubting that for a moment, Mr Callen,” Hetty replied. “But this is not a decision to make rashly.”

He interrupted her. “Been thinking about it since the first time you mentioned it,” he said. “I want to do this, stop these men hurting other kids who don’t deserve it, make sure no one else dies or disappears or whatever.”

“Well Mr Callen, that is very admirable, very admirable indeed,” Hetty replied. “Very well, I will contact my superiors and we will discuss the matter further and determine the best plan moving forward. Thank you for agreeing to help.”

Callen shrugged, a bit embarrassed at the warmth in Hetty’s voice. “’S right the thing to do,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”

Hetty nodded agreement. “A very commendable attitude,” she said. “Now, you are excused to go train with Duke, I have some phone calls to make.”

Callen nodded back, then hurried from the room. Training with Duke sounded like a good idea after the heaviness of that discussion.

*

Callen had to admit, his birthday was pretty great. Duke drove him and Hetty to a bookstore called Chatterton’s and they both gave him a gift card to spend. He spent a few hours wandering all around the huge store, until he had an armful of books. Even then, he still ended up with money left from the gift certificates.

Lunch was in a fifties style diner in walking distance of the bookstore, with both Hetty and Duke. They got a few funny looks – Callen guessed people thought they were an odd looking family, which gave him butterflies. He’d never had anyone think he was part of a family before and he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it.

But Hetty encouraged him to order whatever he wanted off the menu and once he had his food, Callen quickly lost interest in anyone else around them. He knew Duke was on guard and although Hetty appeared relaxed, Callen wasn’t convinced. He’d been learning her behavioral cues in the last few weeks, trying not to look like he was studying her, but he could see a certain tension in her shoulders that wasn’t apparent at home.

Finally done eating, Callen groaned as he leaned back in his seat.

“All done my dear?” Hetty asked, humor evident in her tone.

Callen rubbed his belly. “I may never eat again,” he admitted softly.

Duke laughed at that. “I’ll believe that when I see it, lad,” he said.

Callen laughed a little as well. It felt good to be here like this and again it brought up mixed feelings when he realized that. He also wasn’t sure when he’d started thinking about Hetty’s house as “home” and that made him a little uncomfortable too.

“Are you ready to go?” Hetty asked him and Callen looked up from where he’d been gazing at the tabletop, but not really seeing anything.

“Uh yeah, I guess so,” he agreed. He hadn’t noticed Hetty paying or that Duke had left, lost in thought as he’d been. He frowned at that. He was getting far too comfortable and that could be dangerous. He had an uneasy feeling things were going to change again soon and probably not for the better. 

*

A couple of weeks later, Callen snuck out of Hetty’s house late at night. He had a small bag with him, containing a change of clothes and some money hidden about his person, sewn into the lining of his jacket and tucked in the heel of one shoe.

Once clear of the property, he headed for the nearest bus stop, not having long to wait until a bus came along and he quickly climbed on board, heading to a seat at the back. He had a cap pulled low over his eyes, but the driver seemed indifferent, as did the handful of passengers.

Still, with his own experiences, as well as Hetty’s training drilled into him, he changed at a crowded stop, getting on to another bus with more people on board. Again, he seemed to be ignored. But Callen changed buses three more times during the next few hours, until the sun started to climb into the sky.

Then, he got off his latest bus in Venice and soon slipped into a crowd of tourists heading for the beach. He was going to spend the day here, before heading towards Hollywood and the area that Hetty believed the Japanese businessman found his victims, a few blocks from the particular restaurant that he favored.

*

Callen joined a group of other teenagers, beckoned over by a girl he vaguely recognized.

“Hey, haven’t seen you for a while,” she told him.

Callen couldn’t remember her name and guessed she couldn’t remember his either. Moving in and out of group homes and foster families made people and names blur together after a while.

He shrugged as he replied to the girl. “Got taken in by a crazy old lady for a while,” he said.

“So why’d you leave?” the girl asked.

Callen grimaced. “Because she was a crazy old lady.”

The girl laughed and bumped his shoulder. “We’ve all been there,” she said. “You should stick around here, lot more interesting than crazy old ladies and quick-tempered old guys.”

“Maybe I will,” Callen told her, trying to act like he didn’t really care.

The girl nodded then turned back to the guy she’d been talking to earlier, so Callen drifted away, keeping an eye on the people passing as well as the rest of the group.

He spent that night sleeping in an alley with several of the others, not that he slept much, thoughts racing and on edge from the situation.

*

The next couple of days, he stayed with the group, learning the girl’s name was Emma and the boy she hung with was called Doug. He was the alpha of the group and Callen was quick to make himself appear submissive in front of him. Doug had a temper and he didn’t like anyone paying attention to Emma, even in the form of casual conversation. 

His third day hanging with the group, an Asian girl joined them. She was quickly absorbed by the group, sitting with Doug and Emma and chatting to them. Callen watched her, careful not to get caught, but interested in her confident demeanor.

After a while, she wandered over to where he was leaning against a wall, settling beside him.

“I’m Mitzie,” she said.

He just grunted in reply, continuing to watch the crowd passing by on the pavement, oblivious to the teenagers hanging around.

“I’ve not seen you around before,” Mitzie continued.

“No,” Callen agreed, feeling her frustration easily.

“What’s your name?” she persisted.

Callen knew he had to give her something. He had a feeling that Mitzie wasn’t as young as she first seemed and she might be the one who led him to the Japanese businessman.

“Cal,” was all he said. It was the name he was using with the group, not wanting to give away any more than he needed to of who he really was. His lack of a real name was not something he liked to admit to and he doubted any of the other kids here were using whatever names they’d been born with either.

“Cal,” Mitzie said. “Nice to meet you.”

Callen nodded at her. “You too,” he agreed.

“So how do you feel about Batman?” she asked.

Callen was surprised by that and couldn’t help a laugh. “Batman?” he asked in response.

“Sure,” Mitzie agreed. “Isn’t that what you boys like talking about?”

Callen snorted. “Some boys maybe,” he told her.

“But not you?” Mitzie asked.

“Not me,” Callen agreed.

“So what do you like to talk about then?” Mitzie asked coyly.

Callen shrugged. “Not comic books,” he said, thinking there was no way he was going to admit that recently, he’d been reading a lot of Russian literature – in Russian – as a way of trying to learn the language.

“So how do you feel about kaiju?” Mitzie asked, interrupting Callen’s thoughts.

“Kaiju?” he asked, pronouncing the word carefully. “What’s that?”

Mitzie gave him a surprised look. “You’ve never heard of kaiju?” she asked.

Callen shook his head and she immediately launched into a detailed explanation. Callen watched her, finding himself captivated by her enthusiasm and animation. He wasn’t really listening to her explanation, but she was easy to look at.

After a while, she wound down. “Wow,” Callen said, pretending to have been absorbed by her discourse.

She grinned at him, then completely unexpectedly, leaned forward and kissed Callen. He froze, not expecting it and she immediately drew back, looking sad.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Callen put a hand to his mouth, still shocked by what had happened. “No, I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I like you,” Mitzie said simply, smiling at him.

Callen smiled back and taking a gamble, leaned forward and initiated another kiss. He’d never really done it before and was probably getting it all wrong, but Mitzie made a noise that sounded like she was pleased and kissed back, so he kept going.

After a few minutes, they broke apart and Callen was pleased to see she looked as flushed as he felt. 

“Come with me,” Mitzie said, jumping up and tugging Callen to his feet as well.

He went along with her and she kept hold of his hand as she led him down an alleyway. Callen followed behind, keeping an eye on their surroundings, not sure if this was the play he’d been expecting or just a teenager looking to have a good time.

Mitzie stopped outside a door that Callen suspected was the back entrance to a restaurant. She pushed him up against the wall next to it and leaned in. Callen went along with it, kissing her again, arms around her. 

After a few minutes, the door beside them opened and before Callen quite realized what was happening, he was being dragged inside, Mitzie slamming the door shut behind them.

“Mitzie?” he asked, hearing the shock and surprise in his voice. 

At least he sounded genuine, because in that moment, he wasn’t sure what was happening. Callen felt his heart race and his blood pound in his ears, as he waited in the dark corridor for what was going to happen next.

“It’s alright Cal,” her voice said out of the darkness.

Callen didn’t feel reassured, but neither did he resist, as he felt someone drag him along the corridor. There was a pause, then another door opened and he was pushed into a brightly lit room, his eyes watering with the sudden change in the light.

Callen looked around, but the room was empty, a single light fixture illuminating the lack of furniture. He was alone, whoever had pushed him in, had stayed outside and Mitzie wasn’t there either. The door had closed behind him and Callen crossed over to it. He immediately discovered he was locked in.

“Mitzie, hey Mitzie,” Callen yelled, banging on the door. 

He knew that would be expected of him. Callen forced himself to breathe deeply, trying to remember everything that Duke and Hetty had taught him in the last few weeks. It wasn’t easy, adrenaline and panic combining to make him lightheaded and nauseous. 

Callen just hoped that he could trust Hetty, when she’d told him that there would be people watching him all the time he was out here and that he would be safe. He knew that she would have to let things play out, so he was stuck here for the time being. If she was to achieve her goal of arresting this businessman, Callen had to go along with whatever was going to happen in the next few hours at the very least.

*

Callen spent several minutes walking all round the room, though what he was looking for, he didn’t know. It was obvious there was nothing in the room and only one way in and out. But he paced anyway, it helped quell some of the agitation he was feeling. Faced with the reality of the situation, he wondered whether he was up to doing what Hetty expected of him.

Finally, Callen slumped into a corner of the room, pulling his knees up and resting his head on them. He closed his eyes, trying to relax, as he waited for whatever was going to happen next.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before the door swung open again. Callen pushed himself to his feet, watching two men enter the room. There was no sign of Mitzie.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Callen demanded. “We weren’t causing no trouble, let me go!”

The two men advanced on him and Callen couldn’t help cowering away from them, pushing himself back against the walls behind him, even though there was nowhere for him to go.

One of the men grabbed an arm. “Come with us,” he ordered.

Callen tried to wrench his arm free. “Get off me!” he demanded. But the man’s grip was too tight and he was dragged from the corner of the room.

After struggling some more, the second man grabbed Callen’s other arm and he was dragged across the room, despite his constant struggles to get free. They took him from the room, along a corridor and then up a short flight of stairs. There was a door at the top, which Callen was dragged through as well. 

Inside the room was laid out as a living room, with a couple of old couches and a coffee table. A door on the far side gave way to a hallway and what Callen assumed must be the rest of the apartment. This was apparently some sort of living quarters above the restaurant.

As Callen looked around, taking it all in, movement in the hallway caught his attention. A man was striding towards the living room where Callen was still being held by the two goons.

“Hey man, what the hell is going on?” Callen demanded, as the third man entered the living room.

This man was Hetty’s businessman, Callen recognized. him from the photos she had shown him, now that he was close enough for him to see properly. He wore what looked to Callen like an expensive suit, unlike the other two men.

The businessman gestured to the goons and they let Callen go, stepping away to stand by the entrance to the apartment. Callen rubbed one arm where the goon had gripped tightly enough that he was sure he’d have a bruise.

“Seriously man, what is all this?” Callen asked again, as the businessman slowly walked all round him. It was unnerving him, being the subject of this man’s scrutiny.

Finally, the man stood in front of Callen again. “Perfect,” was all he said, the one word barely accented.

“Perfect for what?” Callen asked, wary now, as he waited to see what was going to happen to him.

The businessman smiled in a way that Callen could only call creepy, as he gestured towards the goons behind Callen again. “For dinner, of course,” he told Callen.

Then, as the goons came up to Callen once more, he walked away, leaving the apartment and Callen at the mercy of his men.

The last thing Callen heard before the door closed behind him was, “No bruises!”

Callen stared at the men as they approached him, backing up warily. Their smiles were creepy and menacing as they kept coming towards him, until Callen was hitting a wall. He splayed his arms out, pressing back as hard as he could, just like he had in the room downstairs.

The men paused just in front of him, then exchanged a look. Callen took that moment to lunge forward, kicking the one on the left in the groin, as he broke right. The man he’d kicked howled in pain and anger, while the other just growled as he came after Callen.

Callen made it halfway across the room, before the man was on him, and he found himself falling to the floor, the weight of the goon landing hard on him, knocking out all of his breath.

Callen couldn’t even cry out, as he fought to breathe. His head swam and he was barely aware of what was happening to him, as he felt a sharp scratch as his neck, before he could react, darkness was falling over him and the world went away. 

*  
Callen came awake slowly, wondering why his head was pounding and his body aching. He couldn’t remember having been drinking. Neither Hetty nor Duke allowed him to even have beer, he thought.

And that thought slammed his memories back into place, like ice water being thrown in his face. Callen gasped as he remembered everything; running away from Hetty’s, the group of teenagers he had been hanging out with, Mitzie in the alleyway, the men in the restaurant apartment and with that came the realization he had been drugged.

Callen tried to sit up and look around, so he could work out where he was, but couldn’t seem to move. The room he was in was dark, and he couldn’t even see a window. He could just about see an outline of where the door must be, a faint rectangle of light giving it away.

Callen groaned as he shifted, realizing that he was lying on a bed. He also quickly came to the realization that he was naked and tied to said bed. He yelled at that, panic setting in and thrashed about, in a frenzied, but futile attempt to get free.

Eventually, he gave up, panting for breath as he lay there, wondering what was going to happen. Hetty had warned him about the risk of sexual assault, being unusually blunt as she did so. He had appreciated what she was saying and yet hadn’t really believed it either. Now, it seemed as though something like that was going to happen.

The door opening drew Callen out of his panicked thoughts and he squinted against the brightness, trying to see who was standing there. Then light flooded the room, so he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting anxiously for whatever was going to happen.

“Good, you are awake,” a female voice said in that same accent the businessman had had. 

Callen forced his eyes open, blinking in the light, to see a woman standing over him. “What’s happening?” he asked, hating how his voice trembled as he spoke.

“I am here to get you ready for dinner,” she told him.

Callen couldn’t help a growl at the same cryptic response as the businessman had given him. The woman just ignored that though, reaching out to undo the restraints at Callen’s wrists and ankles. He wanted to cover himself as she leaned over to the far side of the bed, body trembling in reaction to the situation. 

“Sh,” she said, clearly trying to soothe him, but Callen wasn’t willing to be placated. He tensed his body as she finished undoing the last of the restraints. “I would not try anything,” the woman told him in a calm, precise tone. “If you do, they will keep you drugged all the time and I do not believe you would like that.”

Callen allowed his body to relax again, considering what she had said. “I might prefer it,” he admitted.

She smiled down at him. “If you are drugged, you have no control at all,” she pointed out.

Callen found it odd that she would tell him something like that, but he also knew she was right. 

“Good,” she told him, as he made no move to resist or attack, as she helped him sit up. “I promise, Mr Noguchi is very enamored of you and does not wish to do you harm.”

“I’m still here against my will,” Callen told her as he stood on wobbly legs.

She smiled at him and Callen couldn’t help noticing how beautiful she was. “If you allow yourself, you could come to love it here,” she replied.

Callen gritted his teeth at that, clearly she was completely brainwashed by this Noguchi guy. He didn’t say anything though, just allowed her to guide him to the door, trying to ignore that he was naked in the presence of a beautiful woman. He was only sixteen, he couldn’t help his bodily responses.

Luckily, they didn’t go far. As he emerged into a hallway, Callen could see he was still in the apartment above the restaurant he’d been in earlier. The woman led him to a bathroom a few steps away from what Callen guessed had to be the bedroom.

“You must take a shower,” the woman told him, gesturing into the bathroom. “I will remain outside the room, with the door open. You have fifteen minutes.”

“And if I take too long?” Callen asked.

“You will not enjoy being drugged and having someone do the washing for you,” she told him.

Callen couldn’t help the shiver her matter-of-fact tone engendered, but he ignored it and walked into the bathroom. He remembered Hetty’s advice: as much as possible, go along with what they want you to do. It’s safer that way.

Fortunately, years of group and foster homes meant Callen was an expert on speedy showering. He got clean quickly and efficiently, stepping out of the small cubicle when he was finished to pick up the towel that was waiting. He was grateful to wrap it around himself and get some cover at least. Being naked around other people left him feeling vulnerable and uneasy.

“Very good,” the woman said as Callen stood just inside the doorway. “Twelve minutes.”

Callen bristled at the slightly patronizing tone she used. “What now?” he asked sullenly. He was suddenly cold and tired and wanted nothing more than his bed at Hetty’s house. And he didn’t want to examine that thought too closely.

“Leave the towel,” she said, so he reluctantly discarded it.

The woman gestured him out of the bathroom and so Callen trudged along as she led him through the small apartment. He was shivering despite the warmth of the room and everything seemed very fuzzy.

In the living room, she stopped and pointed to the sofa. “Sit there,” she said.

He obeyed her, not having the energy to put up a fuss. The woman went to the corner of the room where there were bottles of what Callen assumed was alcohol and glasses set on a tray. He watched as she poured a small amount of amber colored liquid into a glass. She took a small tin from one pocket and added white powder, shaking the glass to mix it into the liquid, then walked back to him.

“Drink this,” she told him, holding out the glass.

Callen took the glass and sniffed the contents. He couldn’t tell what it was, but it didn’t smell very pleasant to him.

“Drink it,” the woman said again, a note of command in her tone this time.

Callen sighed and did as he was instructed, grimacing as he swallowed the liquid. It burned as it went down his throat and he coughed a little as he put the glass down on the coffee table in front of him.

“We will go downstairs in a few minutes, when that has had a chance to take effect,” the woman said.

Callen groaned, head feeling heavy and body lethargic as whatever it was started to work on him. He was suddenly unsure he would be able to move at all, much less walk downstairs. A few minutes later though, he felt as though lightning had shot through his body and he suddenly seemed to be full of energy.

He looked up to see the woman studying him closely. “Good, it is working,” she said, nodding in satisfaction. “Come,” and she beckoned towards him.

Callen pushed to his feet, wobbling for a second as his head swam, then he was steady and his body tingled as he followed the woman out of the apartment. Whatever the drug was she had put in the drink, it must be some kind of stimulant, he realized as they went downstairs, along a short corridor and through a heavy door into a blast of noise and smells that shocked Callen with it’s suddenness.

He wavered for a second, but the woman was there, hand under his elbow and he quickly regained his bearings. She led him across the kitchen they had entered into and through another door to a much quieter room.

Callen could see that this was the dining area of the restaurant, but they didn’t pause, crossing the room to another doorway. Callen managed a quick look around, grateful to find the room was empty and the windows shuttered, still uncomfortable with his nudity.

The woman opened the door in front of them and ushered him into another dimly lit room. This one was smaller, with one table in the middle and the cushions Hetty had told him was typical of traditional Japanese restaurants. It was empty as well and Callen felt himself relax a little as he stood there waiting for what was going to happen next.

“I want you to lie on the table,” the woman said, gesturing towards the black wood in the middle of the room.  
“What?” Callen asked blankly, completely confused by the request.

The woman looked at him as if he was stupid. “Lie on the table,” she repeated, gesturing again.

“Why?” Callen had to ask.

“Because that is what you must do,” the woman said simply. “Remember, I can have you drugged so that you cannot move or do anything. Perhaps that is what you would prefer?”

Callen stood there thinking it over. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, except the idea of not being able to move, seemed worse than the alternative. The woman stood there waiting while Callen considered the options. Eventually, he moved forward slowly and climbed on to the table.

“Lie on your back, arms at your sides,” the woman instructed and Callen did as she told him. “Very good,” she said. “You will not be restrained, but you must not move. You will not like what happens if you do.”

Callen fought the urge to squirm. He felt horribly exposed and pretty stupid lying on the table naked. The door opened and he felt himself startle.

“Lie still,” the woman told him sternly. 

It wasn’t easy, so Callen closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, telling himself he could do this. When someone stopped right next to him though, his eyes flew open once more. A man in white clothing stood beside him, next to a trolley containing plates of food.

The woman came into Callen’s field of vision. “The chef is going to place food on your body,” she told him. “Remember, you must stay still.”

“I got it,” Callen told her, though he still had the urge to squirm. This was way beyond bizarre. He decided to close his eyes again, not wanting to watch the chef putting food all over him.

Callen lay there, holding his body tightly, feeling the chef place various things on his chest and abdomen. Besides a vaguely slimy feeling, he couldn’t really tell there was anything there and cracked an eye open to peek at what was happening.

The chef had chopsticks in hand and was holding what Callen guessed was some sort of sushi. He leaned down and placed the item on Callen’s chest, right on his nipple. Callen bit his tongue to stop himself from reacting, though all he wanted to do was leap up and scream at the absurdity of what was happening. He was a person, not some kind of plate or whatever these weirdos seemed to think he was. But he reminded himself that he was here for a reason and he really wanted to help Hetty if he could. So he closed his eyes again and forced himself to relax once more.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Callen, but was probably only a few minutes in reality, the chef was apparently done. There was nothing else being put on his body and Callen heard noises that suggested he was leaving, so he risked opening his eyes again.

The woman was still there, standing watch over him. She said nothing as he slowly raised his head to look down his body. There was bits of food all over his torso and down his legs. His arms and face seemed to be clear though. Callen really didn’t know what to make of it and lowered his head down again, closing his eyes once more. It was totally weird and he didn’t want to see. Bad enough he could feel each piece of food wherever it rested against his skin.

“The diners will be here soon,” the woman told him. “You will lie there quietly and let them eat. When they are done eating, they will stay here drinking and talking. You must continue to stay still, unless they tell you to do something, then you will obey whatever instructions they give you. Only when they have left will you be able to move. Do you understand?”

Callen opened his eyes and looked at her. “Yeah, I get it,” he said. “But what if they ask me to do something I don’t like or don’t want to do?”

“Then you must remember that if you disobey, you will feel the consequences later and they will ensure that you do what they want anyway,” the woman told him, coldness creeping into her tone for the first time.

Callen couldn’t help a frisson of fear running through him. He tensed his body, willing himself not to move or do anything that would dislodge any of the food on him. He had a feeling that wouldn’t be well received and he had no wish to find out just how they would punish him.

He put his head down once more and closed his eyes. “I’ll behave,” he said bitterly, resigned to his fate. 

He just hoped Hetty didn’t leave it too long before she came to the rescue. He didn’t really like the idea of maybe having to do all this again on another day or even several days.

“I will be back when the meal is concluded,” the woman said and then he heard her walking away.

Callen lay there, trying to relax, listening to her leave the room. He was left alone for only a couple of minutes, before he heard the door opening again and the sounds of several people entering the room. He resisted the urge to open his eyes or look up, deciding he preferred not to see the weird Japanese men who thought it was cool or whatever to eat their sushi off a teenager’s body. 

The men – and Callen assumed this was a man-only thing – were chatting away to each other in Japanese and seemed to be totally ignoring their human plate, which suited Callen just fine. He had no desire to interact with them, he just wanted to get through this bizarre experience and be allowed to leave.

*

The meal seemed to last forever, conversation going on all around Callen in Japanese, as the food covering his body was slowly picked off piece by piece and was presumably eaten by the men in attendance. Even when he realized the last of the food was gone, as the chopsticks stopped touching him, the conversation still seemed to flow endlessly around him.

Weirdly, now that the worst part seemed to be over, Callen was relaxed and he even felt drowsy. He didn’t know what time it was, but guessed it was late. The whole strange experience was catching up to him and he felt himself drifting close to sleep. A hand gripping his ankle startled him to wakefulness once more.  
“He is perfect, don’t you think?” A Japanese accented voice spoke from right beside him and Callen fought not to jump, the woman’s instructions ringing clear in his mind, as the fogginess of sleep cleared from his brain.

“He certainly is Noguchi,” a second voice agreed from equally close by and then a hand stroked down Callen’s torso and he fought not to react.

“I believe I will keep him for a while,” the first voice said and again, it was accompanied by someone stroking his body.

This time, Callen couldn’t stop the shiver of revulsion as the hands stroked him and he bit his lip, waiting to see what would happen. Fortunately, the men either didn’t notice or didn’t care, carrying on their discussion while their hands continued to stroke over his body. 

“Let us reconvene in two days to complete the deal,” the second voice said. “Will you have him here then?”

“If you wish,” the first voice agreed and Callen shuddered at the thought of being here for at least another two days.

The hands thankfully left him alone then and Callen listened as the men apparently moved away, the door opening and then closing. The silence in the room seemed almost deafening as Callen guessed he was alone now. After a minute, he risked opening his eyes and looking around. To his relief, he was alone. He wasn’t sure if it was safe to move though, so he stayed put, practicing his deep breathing as he waited for whatever was going to happen next. 

Callen was taken back to the apartment by the same woman as before. She seemed a little warmer towards him, so he took that to mean she was pleased with the way the evening had gone. He was allowed to shower again, which he was relieved by. He couldn’t stop the slimy feeling that crept over his skin whenever he thought about that evening. It wasn’t even the eating thing, although that had been unpleasant, it was more the way the two men had touched and stroked him afterwards, like he wasn’t even a person.

The woman locked him in the bedroom after he was done, but by this point Callen didn’t care. He breathed a sigh of relief at being alone and collapsed onto the single bed, pulling the sheet over his still-nude body. He was asleep within seconds. 

* 

The next two days were spent locked in the same bedroom. The woman appeared a few times with food and to escort him to the bathroom, but otherwise he was left alone. Callen didn’t mind. He nodded acquiescence when the woman warned him to stay quiet and behave or he’d be drugged. 

Alone in the room, he practiced the tai chi moves that Duke had been teaching him the last few months, or did push ups and sit ups. He even tried Hetty’s meditation routine, but didn’t get very far. Every time he closed his eyes, he could feel those men’s hands on him again and his eyes would fly open again. Instead, he mentally worked on his Russian, practicing words and phrases and trying to remember the book he’d been reading before he’d left.

Sleep was sporadic – again, he kept remembering the meal and the hands on him. He was starting to doubt his ability to get through another encounter with the men.

Callen wondered whether he should ask for the drugs this time, so he wouldn’t be aware of what was going on. But that led him to wonder what would happen if Hetty decided it was time to rescue him. If he was drugged, he wouldn’t be any help to her or whoever she sent after him. So he decided to try the meditation one more time and settled cross-legged in a corner of the room. 

This time, it seemed to work. After a few minutes, he had drifted into a calmer state of mind and was aware of nothing but his body and breathing. When the door opened, he didn’t even startle, just slowly brought himself back to normal and opened his eyes.

The woman was standing just inside the door, watching him. She hadn’t told Callen her name or offered any sort of conversation, beyond instructions and directions. He didn’t mind, he wasn’t any more interested in getting to know her. Hetty and Duke had both warned him of the dangers of getting attached to anyone who captured him.

“It is time,” was all she said, once she saw she had his attention.

Callen gave a short nod and rose from the floor, crossing the room to follow her to the bathroom. He managed to maintain his calm, detached state this time through the shower, the same drink and drug mixture as last time and the walk down through the restaurant to the private dining room.

However, when he got inside, all that calm deserted him. Someone else was already in the room. Callen blinked as he stopped just inside the door, needing a push to the shoulder from the woman to get him to move any further.

A teenage girl was lying on the table opposite to where Callen had been two days ago. She too was naked and Callen swallowed hard at the unexpected sight. Any reaction was tempered by the oddity of the situation. 

“Get on the table,” the woman said, startling him out of his staring. “The chef will be here momentarily and it will take longer with two of you to prepare.”

Callen blinked, but obeyed. He saw the girl hadn’t even turned her head in his direction since he’d been in the room and he wondered if she’d been drugged. His mind was racing as he settled down on the table in the same position as last time, wondering what this meant for him and the chances for any potential rescue. 

The chef came in shortly after and went over to the girl first. Callen carefully didn’t watch what was happening, knowing he wouldn’t want her watching him either, when it was his turn. Although that didn’t seem likely.

*

Once the chef had been and gone, followed by the woman, the room was empty and Callen risked turning his head to look at the girl.

“Hey,” he said softly, trying to attract her attention. 

He waited a few seconds but she didn’t even move her head, so he tried again. Still nothing. Before he could do anything else, the door opened and so he moved back to the correct position and closed his eyes.

“What is this?” a startled voice asked, as footsteps came closer to the table. It was one of the same voices from a couple of days ago.

“I thought I would bring in another attraction,” the voice Callen knew belonged to Noguchi replied to the first. “You know I like to make frequent changes and I thought this one would appeal to you as well.”

“She is certainly attractive,” the first voice agreed. “Although there is nothing wrong with the male either.”

“Still, I know you prefer females,” Noguchi said. “So I thought I would bring her in to make sealing this deal even more special for you.”

“Thank you,” the other man said. “I will enjoy my dinner from this plate very much.”

“Good,” Noguchi replied. “Now, shall we eat?”

Callen listened to them settling on the cushions, then felt the first touch of chopsticks against his body, as someone – presumably Noguchi – started to eat. There was silence apart from the sounds of their eating for a while, then a conversation began in Japanese and Callen found himself drifting as the meal continued.

Finally, they seemed to be done, Callen could tell the food was all gone from his body, but the conversation continued, just like it had last time. And with it, came the hands on his body again. This time, Callen could tell it was just one person touching him, but the stroking was more purposeful. The hands roved over his whole body as well, starting from his feet and moving upwards. Callen bit into his lip and kept his eyes squeezed closed, fighting not to react to the invasive touches as they covered his body.

The conversation gradually died out and Callen waited to see if that meant the ordeal was over. He was also wondering if the girl was going through the same thing. Though he guessed that if she was drugged, she might not be affected in the same way as him. Callen couldn’t help thinking that if he’d known this was the way things were heading tonight, he’d probably have wanted drugs too.

Callen fought to stay still as the hands got more familiar with parts of his body that no-one else had touched before. His skin crawled as fingers pinched a nipple, while someone breathed heavily above him. Tears stung his eyes as his nipple was twisted and pulled, then a hand firmly squeezed his cock. 

It was taking more control than he knew he possessed for Callen not to move or react, as adrenaline buzzed along his nerves and his stomach churned with nausea. Callen was biting his lip so hard, he could taste blood and his nails dug into his palms where he had clenched his hands into fists. He wanted nothing more than to jump up from this table and punch the guy in the face, but was scared about what would happen if he did, so he lay there frozen, heart pounding, wondering just how far this was going to go. 

All of a sudden, there was a loud crashing sound and Callen couldn’t stop himself from looking. The door had been flung open and a man stood in the frame.

“FBI, nobody move!” he yelled.

The two Japanese men had yelled in surprise when the door opened and Callen saw them both draw guns. The man in the doorway was wearing body armor and held a big gun of his own in two hands. Callen had no idea what it was, but he did know he didn’t want to be in the line of fire, so he took a chance and rolled sideways off his table.

Seconds later, bullets started flying and he was glad he’d moved. But a quick glance showed the girl still motionless on her table and she was equally at risk, so Callen shuffled across the space between their tables and unceremoniously pulled her down beside him. She still didn’t react and a quick glance at her face showed pupils that were blown wide. 

Callen didn’t have a chance to do more than that, as yells and thuds reached him. He looked up to see the Japanese businessmen lying on the floor, clearly dead.

“Clear!” a voice yelled from the door and Callen risked peeking up to see several men advancing into the room. He stayed huddled on the floor, not wanting them to decide he was a target as well.

“Callen?” a voice called and he looked up again, to see a man looking down at him.

He nodded and the man touched his radio. “We have him,” he said. 

Then he looked back to Callen, who stared at the outstretched hand. “Please come with me, son,” the man said gruffly.

“Not your son,” Callen muttered as he pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the guy’s hand. “She needs an ambulance, she’s drugged,” he added, as he gripped the edge of the table, feeling pretty wobbly after the last few minutes of excitement.

The agent gave him a nod and got back on his radio to request paramedics. Meanwhile another man came up to the first, holding a blanket.

“Here, figured you might like this,” he commented, holding it out to Callen.

Callen grabbed it and quickly draped it over the girl’s body. The first agent gave him a surprised look, but Callen just stared back at him. 

“We need another blanket,” the agent said, turning to speak to someone else behind him.

“Allow me,” a familiar voice said and Callen looked up in relief to see Hetty standing there, immaculate as ever in one of her pants suits, holding out a blanket to him.

Callen took it with a nod and wrapped it around his body. He couldn’t quite find his tongue as he felt the post-adrenaline crash Duke had warned him about and he wavered on his feet as paramedics came rushing into the room.

“Granger, help him,” Hetty said to the first agent and Callen allowed him to take his elbow and guide him away from the girl. 

*

Things seemed to blur for Callen after that, he submitted to an examination by the paramedics and once he admitted that he’d been drugged, they were insistent he go to the hospital. Hetty had appeared at the ambulance at some point and she agreed, so Callen nodded acquiescence. 

“I will see you at the hospital shortly,” Hetty told him. 

“Okay,” Callen agreed, feeling a little anxious about being left alone, but not knowing how to articulate that.

“You will be quite safe, Mr Callen,” Hetty said, clearly picking up on his nervousness.

“I know,” he told her, tensing his jaw and refusing to admit to feeling anything else.

The paramedic signaled to Hetty, so she nodded and climbed down from the vehicle. “I will see you shortly,” she told him, watching as the paramedic closed the doors.

Callen settled back against the gurney, closing his eyes, exhausted by everything that was happening.

*

Once at the hospital, he was taken to a treatment room and doctors and nurses descended on him. Callen was uncomfortable the whole time, clutching the blanket he had been given like a lifeline, until someone brought him a set of scrubs. It was a relief to be wearing something more like real clothes after several days of nothing and he relaxed as he pulled the red pants and top on. 

Shortly after that, Hetty was at the entrance to the private room he’d been moved to, the man from before in tow.

“This is Agent Granger,” she told him and Callen gave a brief nod, glad for the reminder of the man’s name.

“How’s that girl?” he asked. He’d tried finding out from the medical staff several times over the last few hours he’d been stuck here, but no one was admitting to even having seen her.

“She was taken to another facility,” Agent Granger said. “But she is expected to make a full recovery.”

“What about you, dear, how are you feeling?” Hetty asked.

Callen scowled at her calling him that in front of the agent, but settled for shrugging. “Tired,” he admitted. 

“The doctor tells me you were given cocaine, mixed with whisky,” Hetty said. “That is why you are having the reaction you are now. You will stay here for a while longer for observation, then you will be allowed to leave.”

“In the meantime, we’d like to take a statement from you,” Granger told him, as Hetty finished her explanation.

Hetty glared at Granger and Callen suppressed a smirk. It was a pretty scary look and Granger seemed to recoil from her. When they both turned back to him, he hid it by yawning.

“Can I do that later?” he asked. “I’m really tired.” He tried not to sound like a whiny teenager, but like an adult making a reasonable request.

Hetty got the look he’d mentally dubbed as her maternal one, something he’d seen a handful of times since he’d lived with her. Granger was scowling, but Callen got the impression that was the guy’s habitual expression.

“Sooner is better, while the details are still fresh,” Granger spoke first.

“I won’t forget any of this man,” Callen told him, setting his jaw stubbornly. Another yawn escaped before he could help himself.

“Of course you won’t,” Hetty said crisply. “We will let you rest now, the interview can wait until after you are discharged.”

Her look dared Granger to disagree with her assessment and after a brief stare-down, Granger nodded his surrender. “Later, then, Callen,” was all he said, before leaving the room.

Hetty patted his knee briefly. “Sleep dear, and I’ll be back later with some clothes for you when it’s time for you to leave.”

Callen managed a small smile for her, forgiving the use of the endearment. “Okay,” was all he said, then he turned on his side and pulled the blanket over him. He’d been cold since he’d arrived in the hospital and glad of the chance to keep himself covered. He barely heard the door close behind Hetty as he succumbed to the lure of sleep.

*

When he woke again, Callen found Hetty sitting at his bedside, reading. A pile of what he recognized as his own clothes waited on the tray table in front of him. 

“Good to see you awake, dear,” Hetty said. “I will fetch the doctor and hopefully we can get you discharged now.”

“Okay,” Callen agreed, reaching for the plastic water glass that was next to the clothes. He sipped at it while he waited for Hetty to return.  
The doctor checked him over quickly, before pronouncing him good to go. He left and Hetty followed him out the door, giving Callen privacy to dress. Once he was done, he found Hetty waiting outside the room.

“Ready dear?” she asked and he nodded, glad to be leaving the hospital behind.

Once they got outside, Callen paused to enjoy what seemed like his first fresh air in forever. Even if it was early morning L.A. smog, as far as he was concerned, it still smelt better than the restaurant apartment he’d been stuck in the last few days and definitely better than the hospital smell.

Hetty smiled at him when he finally turned to her. “Are we going home?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, I have to take you to give a statement first,” she told him, smile slipping away.

Callen frowned at that. “I thought that the agents killed those guys?” he asked.

“Yes, they did,” she agreed. “However, reports still have to be submitted explaining the whole sorry situation and in order to do that, we require a statement from you.”

“Oh,” Callen felt deflated at the thought of being stuck inside again for hours. “I can’t do it at home?” he asked.

Hetty gestured towards the parking lot, so he started slowly walking alongside her. “I tried to get the agent in charge to agree to that, but he wasn’t willing to do so,” she told him. “So it will be at the Federal Building instead.”

“Right,” Callen said dejectedly. Even the sight of Hetty’s Jaguar wasn’t enough to make him feel better.

“Cheer up dear, we don’t have to go this early,” Hetty told him. “We have time for a proper breakfast first.”

Callen immediately felt better at that prospect; the hospital food had been pretty awful – soggy cereal and cold, hard toast. As if in agreement, his stomach gurgled and Hetty laughed, making him blush, but laugh too.

“Come along then, I know just the place, they have pancakes and bacon you’ll love and they even make a decent cup of tea,” Hetty led him to the car.

Callen was outright grinning now, Hetty did love her tea and the thought of pancakes and bacon was making his mouth water in anticipation. And maybe while they were at the Federal Building, Hetty would be able to find out for him whether the girl from the restaurant was okay. It was enough to put a bounce in his walk, as he followed Hetty to the Jaguar.

The weirdness of the last few days faded to the back of Callen’s mind as they left the parking lot and Hetty started talking about the math tutors she’d been vetting for him. Reliving it for the statement wouldn’t be pleasant, but Callen thought he could cope now and no doubt Hetty would know people who could help if he needed to talk to someone, although he hoped he could just forget everything that had happened and go back to the normal life he’d been building at Hetty’s the last few months.


End file.
